Well there WAS a 16 minute DWD and 14 minute Tweezer the night before, so I'm not sure what anyone means by the jamming being gone.

I thought that 2nd set had it's moments for sure. The Simple was breathtakingly psychedelic, Number Line probably fixed a lot of peoples doses with it's ecstatic solo. Then back into the murk with an excellent albeit short Carini.

Much better flow than the 1st night of San Fran but less in the way of individual highlights. Easily the most balanced show so far, with the first set having some very nice moments.

after listening to all the leg 1 torrents and associated praise, i had big expectations goin into this weekend. all were met or exceeed...great show on saturday, just a notch below sunday. there is No way this show deserves a 3.3. first set shreds start to finish and left me totally speechless at the break. SOAM was a monster

re: set 2....for me, the endless jam length expectations have to be the most annoying fan critique in phishlandia. imo improvisational live music is supposed to be different every time, and phish 2012 is proving that. you cant predict how theyre going to play any given song on any given night. tonights example is the piper that didnt take off...bFD...everything else was the tits. simple was huge and 2001 was filthy. best fluffhead and best loving cup ive ever seen...ps in fluff, mike's 2 comments were "check it out"..and then "check THIS out" . super funny

Feisty Jim
Rockin Wolfman
Energetic Ocelot
Very good Maze (Highlight for me)
SPOAM was really good
Golden Age> Piper> Mike's Song> Simple (best song)> Backwards Down the Number Line is a must listen
Trey rips Loving Cup up

Definitely an awesome show...it was LONG too! They came on by 8:10 and they played til midnight which was awesome! Very high energy throughout the whole show, maybe not any 'best of' versions but they were rippin' it the whole time. I personally though the Maze was on FIRE and really got things going in the first set. I was totally pumped to see Moses bust out the vacuum for I Didn't Know..and the 46 Days and Tube totally kicked ass. Loved the SOAM and Cavern first set closer. The SOAM definitely reached some chaotic points, but Trey was able to reel it in for a great climax.

Second set..just listen to it. I guess I can be biased since I was there but I will say that this show was HOT HOT HOT all the way through..awesome time and cannot wait for tomorrow!

When I wrote my previous comment...I thought it was kind of funny...a little tongue in cheek...a variation of the scotty and star trek thing...figure I'd get mad props. At first there was a huge backlash...but some people bumped me up, cool I think I know the kind of people they might have been. I was like whoops...guess I pissed some people off and wondered if I was turning into a hater. But then I was thinking...since when is saying that Phish should jam more not cool. Wow this mayan prophecy must be coming true or something...this must be the end of days. I didn't say the show sucked...or the band sucked. In fact this tour is awesome, and the musicianship is next level...but...

I have a minimum standard quota of at least one song that is around TWENTY minutes chock full of extended improvisation. It should be definitely more than that...but at least one second set song should meet this quota...and I am sorry when there is nothing...it is kind of a disappointment. Unfortunately, that has been the norm as of late (3.0) and then we got spoiled randomly again at Long beach...and here we are back at no extended improvisation. I liken 3.0 to like '92-94...but even back then there was much more jamming and the fat has been trimmed off of a lot of songs these days to the point where I am in shock. I am always waiting for that ace up the band's sleeve...where they will do a PROPER version of a song...and sadly it never seems to come. I am not asking for a one song set here...but can't we just get like four more minutes on an ACDC, or just like ten more minutes on a halleys, can we break the high water mark of 9 minutes on a 2001? Where's my twenty minute antelope or reba? Hearing a song that traditionally has always been jammed out...cut down to three minutes like Ghost last summer is like a dagger in my heart. If they are too sick of a song...don't play it...but in my personal opinion I don't want to hear a 5 minute halleys comet...it hurts too much.

I love this band so much it is pathetic...and I will still always obsess over their tours, and setlists. However, the improvisation is why I'm here...they are the best at it...and any attempt they made at it now would be openly embraced. I find it hard to believe that Trey who was obsessed with it in the nineties (Surrender to the Air?) doesn't want to do it anymore, Page who wrote 'The art of improvisation' just doesn't think they should do it anymore, Mike whose main strength this whole time is putting a unique spin on what he's simultaneously hearing the other band members do and contributing in a brilliant way, Fish who has eras of listening and changing with individual members.

I know Phish is unpredictable, but this is more uncharacteristic, than anything else.

I don't think that it is too much to ask for a mere twenty minutes of a three hour show to be dedicated in memorium to the rare breed of fans that remember and celebrate the first jamming TWENTY YEARS the band played, and save the rest of the show defined by the last three years they've played. There is a vast difference, and one can only speculate its meaning. Peace.

1. great Maze, Trey nailed his solo and dropped a nice effect on the final note

2. Simple - face melt for sure.... highlight #1 for me

3. Fluffhead - 2 great moments worthy of a GIF. On the webcast you see Mike crack his neck mid song (looking not bored, but relaxed) and then he steps to the mic twice before the final vocal sec...couldn't tell, but I think he muttered something like "faked you out..." Trey was laughing for sure....Good lookin out Gordo!!!

4. Piper - when you can watch so close, the mistakes are like red flags....they were too fast, not in sync....abandoned as fast as it began...

5. Silent in the Morning - just works beautifully somehow in the 2nd set

6. Circus - Nice to get this one back....Trey nails this solo and shows a lot of love for this one in his playing...

Had to buy tonight after last night's awesomeness....On a personal note, I've had some tragedies this summer, and Silent in the Morning gave me chills , that right song right time feeling...

I think it lame that some folks started rating the show halfway through the first set. Even if they gave it a five (which they didn't, one gave a two, and the other gave a three) their rating should have waited until the show was done.

I though phish.net prohibited reviews and ratings until the end of the show.

I thought this show should be rated higher than 3.3 with 76 votes cast. I blame the low score not on Phish but on premature e-jacked-up-rating!

This is actually a really well played show. There is good energy and a great song selection... just not a lot of long, winding jams. This would be a perfect show to play for a Phish newbie to get them into the band. Hell... I'm an old timer and enjoy the tapes... err... bits. I think people are way too harsh in their judgement.

Get over it people, it's not fall of 97 anymore... and we can't have the IT Festival Soundcheck every night. Just get your groove on and enjoy the band.

I went to this 3 day run, and Saturday night was my favorite night. I loved how wacky SOAM got, Carini always gets things wild. Simple simply melted my face. After the show my buddy and I couldn't stop doing the Carini jam. Gawd I love Phish!!!

Well there goes my theory that we were gonna get a twenty minute 2001 this weekend. Can we make Justin Bieber go to every show? I mean, I feel like there was like this energy change...like a blip when he showed up...and then he was gone and so was the jamming. Weird. They have the absolute power...they just won't do it, captain.

i thought this show had some really awesome highs coupled with some pretty big lows

overall, like at any phish show i am lucky enough to attend i had a fucking blast... and danced my ass off.

but comparatively to the show i saw in long beach, musically speaking aside from a great maze, tasty ocelot, great mikes>simple, and a smoking carini, it had much to be desired and at some points was downright sloppy

the long beach show was the utter titties, but to each their own..

i can see someone who is a fan of loud dirty grimy arena rock n roll shows saying that the bgca show was off the heezy, and there were moments, but.. while an amazing time.. didn't think it was their best performance

no concert id rather be at though always.. but aside from having lots of energy and getting that small room super fired up many times, the boys were not at their utmost tightest imho

I agree that this show should be rated way higher than it is. I think minimum 4.0 but i would give it a 4.1 or 4.2 around there. Awesome show great jamming but shy of amazing. but still way above average...

Last night's very strong performance during DWD->Birds->Tweezer gave most of us high hopes that things would really heat up for night 2. A scattered arrangement in both sets would provide quality highlights but lacked the overall cohesiveness felt for most of night 1.
Early on a standard version of Jim provided the perfect warmup for both the band and the crowd. Everyone was settling in and the band stayed within the song. The Wolfman's on the other hand displayed incredible patience and clean build up to a top notch jam session. Mike hit some funky notes early on with Fish provoking him with a quicker pace to let us taste a more bold flavor. Trey absolutely pulverizes the ending solo while Fishman would egg him on as well with quicker tempo. A noticeably louder roar came from the crowd after this one. Nellie Kane and Beauty of Broken Heart killed the momentum generated from Wolfman's jam fest. Ocelot provided some spacier improve and it had glimpses of Dead like jam weaving. Where Wolfman's left off Maze would pick right back up. A couple of minutes in all four members start hitting on all cylinders. Page rocks it out on the organ while Trey hits some screeching rhythmic chords. With Page's ascent to higher ground on organ Trey decides to take a prominent role in the faster paced middle portion crusade. His higher pitched blind siding attack on reaching unheard of levels of sound were in full effect. The band stops on a dime to reawaken with the cactus throwing down the hammer with the final close out reminiscent of the opening notes to the song. I didn't Know->46 days, Tube->When the Circus Comes provided the biggest head scratcher of the weekend. A nice cold beer and a bathroom break sounded damn good at this point. After being trapped in the dungeon bathroom line I made it back in time for Sugar Shack...not much to say here. The creative explosion of the set would come with SOAM. I honestly can't say I've witnessed an above average version during 3.0 but this bad boy should get some consideration. Half way through the song there is a noticeable shift to push each other to a more intense and dark platform. The collective level of sound this version displayed was impressive. Laser sounding effects come screaming out of Trey's guitar while one of the most intense light shows either keeps the crowds eyes fixated on stage or ducking for cover. A standard Cavern closes out the set.

Lights...

Golden Age->Piper to open up a second set on paper looks phenomenal especially with recent 2012 versions. On this night neither version stood out. When I left the show I thought maybe I indulged too much during set break...which I probably did but after listening back to both of these versions it was confirmed there was no take off jam. GA was ended just as it was picking up to then segue into a jam less Piper. The meat of this set would soon follow with Mike's->Simple. This duo would finally provide the first forum for the band to let it rip on this night. Mike's saw Fish and Trey fire back and forth at each other with hard hitting guitar licks and rip roaring drum fills. As Fish continued with the last drum fill Trey hit the beginning notes of Simple. Clocking in just under 13 minutes there would be several layers to unfold here. Not wasting anytime once the lyrical portion ended the band dives into a sensual calming sound that momentarily freezes time and space and all enter a trance. Page along with Trey begin what I define as the whale call at about 9 minutes in. Sending shivers through my body this cerebral pilgrimage brought me into a heightened state of reflection on all things good in life. It was a moment to take it all in and appreciate the experience I was sharing with family, closest friends, and Phish. BDTNL got quickly into the chunk of jamming to keep things divine and I felt it was perfectly placed coming out of the TOP Simple of 3.0. Changing gears dramatically the band drops Carini->Wilson. Both versions keep it tight and to point with little extended jamming. Weekapaug would provide the exclamation point to a very quality Mike's Groove. After a much deserved breather The Horse->Silent came at a typical juncture of a second set. Coming out of this lull the band promptly delivers a funky 2001->a phantastic Fluffhead->lasting Loving Cup. All three closed out the set much stronger than the previous night.
To close out the night Show of Life->Zero provided a fitting ending to an up and down night.

I left this night with mixed emotions and knew if any band could come through in the clutch to close out the weekend it would be Vermont's phinest.

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